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Subject: 03/02/93 - The National Midnight Star #634 ** Special Edition **
Status: R
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
The National Midnight Star, Number 634
Tuesday, 2 March 1993
Today's Topics:
The Arcane Rush Trivia File
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: lloyo@vmtecqr2.qro.itesm.mx (Luis Loyo)
Date: Tue Mar 2 15:28:03 EST 1993
Subject: The Arcane Rush Trivia File
This is the Arcane Rush Trivia file.
Generated: Sun Feb 28, 1993
This file contains questions that appear frequently on the NMS that
the FAQ should not have because of its trivia nature. You can get a copy
of it by e-mailing me (Luis Loyo) at LLOYO@vmtecqr2.qro.itesm.mx, and I'll
send you the most recent version that I got. This file is also available
via anonymous ftp from syrinx.umd.edu (128.8.2.114) in the rush/special
directory.
If you have any suggestions for additions to this file, or any
corrections, send them to me and I'll add it to the file. You may not have
any documentation that support's your theory (this is what differentiates
the FAQ from this file!), but anyway, there must be at least two equal
theories on one subject to put it in. Also, don't send suggestions to the
file to rush-mgr@syrinx. He doesn't have anything to do with keeping this
file. If you have something send it to lloyo@vmtecqr2.qro.itesm.mx and not
to the mailing list moderator.
If you send a question, please send me a possible answer. This is the
Arcane Rush Trivia file, so if you have something that you think it's not
for the FAQ list, send it to me. If I think that this should be in the
FAQ, I'll send it to the FAQ keeper, but please consider this first.
Also, I'd like to note that one of the purposes of this file is for
some questions that have only a "Yes" or a "No" for an answer to have
a "complete answer". That is, if the question says "Has anybody noticed that
you can hear part of the _1812_ overture in _2112_?", I would like to have
the timing where this appears, for example.
I'd like to thank to Dan Delany (dan@rat.csc.calpoly.edu) and the
Rush manager (rush-mgr@syrinx.umd.edu) for their help and support. Thanks
a lot!
These questions are taken from the FAQ almost in its entirety,
because of its importance:
What is the National Midnight Star?
It's a Rush fans newsletter that is distributed via e-mail.
Submissions are all sent to one adress, and the moderator goes through the
submissions periodically and sends out a digest containing lots of
submissions.
(If you know where the name "The National Midnight Star" comes from,
send it in and I'll add it).
How can I subscribe to The National Midnight Star?
Send e-mail to rush-request@syrinx.umd.edu asking to have your name
added to the list. Don't send e-mail to me - I can't add you!
I'll repeat that. I (lloyo@vmtecqr2.qro.itesm.mx) have absolutely
nothing to do with the managment of TNMS. I can't add your name to the
subscription list.
Latest word on the next album:
I haven't seen any official word about the rumors of a boxed set of
Rush CDs. Until I see official word on the subject, I'll treat that as a
rumor.
The band is scheduled to go into the studio in January or February
1993. According to an interview with alex on 97.7 FM in Hamilton, Ontario,
the album is expected to come out in June. Also mentioned is that they
will be taking the summer off, so we can't expect an immediate tour. This
info was originally posted in alt.music.rush on Nov 4 by
v281nr6a@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Mark D Uher). (According to Jeff
Robertson, 97.7 FM is actually in St. Catharines.)
SEIDENBERG@MARY.FORDHAM.EDU apparently has a source of information,
and has posted the following:
Rupert Hine will not produce the next album.
The band will start working on material on Jan. 15. I wonder if that
means that the band will start writing then, or that the band will go into
the studio then.
The target date for release is September 15. This disagrees with what
Alex has said, and I don't know who is right.
----- The following questions and answers are in this file -----
Who says <phrase> in <song>?
What is a Lerxst?
Do the other band members have nicknames?
I heard that Neil has a PhD in <field of study>. Is this true?
Has anybody noticed that Lakeside Park is mentioned in _Strange Brew_?
Where is Lakeside Park?
Has anybody noticed that "Didacts and Narpets" is an anagram for "Addicts
and Parents"?
Does anybody knows the lyrics to "Didacts and Narpets"?
What is the "Sign of Eth"?
Has anybody noticed that you can hear part of the 1812 Overture in _2112_?
Has anybody noticed the whispering in the background in "The Twilight
Zone"?
Does anybody knows for sure what is being said at the end of the _All the
World's a Stage_ (only in the vynil copies, not in the CDs).
I read that "Xanadu" was based on a famous poem. Does anybody have a copy?
Ooooh! I just found out that there is really an intersection of Danforth
and Pape in Toronto. Has anybody noticed this before?
Has anybody noticed that the signs on the right side of the _Permanent
Waves_ cover say Lee, Lifeson and Peart?
What are the differences between the Anthem and the Mercury covers of
_Permanent Waves_?
What building is on the cover of _Moving Pictures_?
What is a barchetta?
What does "YYZ" mean?
At 8:54 and 8:56 int "The Camera Eye", there are some mumblings that I
can't quite make out. Does anybody knows for sure what is being said?
Has anybody noticed that the ESL cover photo contains stuff from all of
the band's previous albums?
What is the significance of 1001001 in "The Body Electric"?
Has anybody noticed that _Power Windows_ is "brought to you by the letter
M"?
Why is _Power Windows_ brought to us by letter "M"?
How many simbols are there in the _Hold Your Fire_ inside photo?
Does anybody knows what stuff Geddy has sitting on the keyboards in the
_A Show Of Hands_ video?
What is the round thing on Alex's guitar in the _A Show Of Hands_ video?
Has anybody noticed that "Anagram (for Mongo)" contains lots of anagrams?
Is there a reason for the arrangement of the numbers on the dice on the RTB
cover?
Has anybody noticed that the "Gangster of Boats" is mentioned in the HYF
liner notes?
What does the pattern of skulls and bones at the bottom of the inside front
cover of the RTB toubook mean? Is there a pattern to it?
-------- Questions and answers follow. -------
Who says <phrase> in <song>?
Geddy says "One, two, buckle my shoe" in "In The End" on ATWAS.
Neil does the narrative during "The Necromancer."
I've never seen anything definitive saying who whispers in
"The Twilight Zone."
Neil does the "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation - we have
assumed control" bit at the end of "2112."
The deep voice at the beginning of "Cygnus X-1" is none other than
Terry Brown.
Neil says "Subdivisions" in the song of the same name,
even though Alex is shown saying it in the video and does it live.
Alex says "That's nice" at the end of "Chain Lightning."
We don't know who says "I will be the judge" and "Give the jury
direction." I did receive the following email on April 11, 1991
on just this very subject:
{ Begin quoted text }
>Good day. I am a Rush fan who has access to an Amiga and a good quality
>digitizer. I noticed that in the "Who says what" section of the FAQL you
>wrote that you don't know who says "I will be the judge" and "Give the
>jury direction."
>
>Out of curiosity, I digitized that section of "Show Don't Tell," and then
>played it back at the "proper" speed. Although the main vocal track
>(Geddy's voice) was obviously too high, I could now hear the background
>vocals that were intentionally slowed.
>
>The task was fairly difficult because of two reasons:
>1. The background vocals are very weakly mixed in comparison to the main
> vocals, which makes it hard to distinguish the voice.
>2. The phrases are actually whispered, sampled, and then slowed down by
> some factor.
>
>All above statements coming to a conclusion with my submission to the
>FAQL issue: Neil whispers "I will be the judge" and "Give the jury
>direction" during "Show Don't Tell."
>
>Yoav Gershon
>ygershon@ucdavis.edu (or ygershon@deneb.ucdavis.edu)
>UC Davis.
{ end quoted text }
According to Neil on the December 2, 1991 "Rockline," Geddy does the RTB
"chat" section.
What is a Lerxt?
A Lerxt is an Alex Lifeson.
Do the other band members have nicknames?
Ged and Neil also have nicknames, Dirk and Pratt. Hence "Lerxtwood Mall,"
"Old Dirk Road" and "Pratt & Co." on the map on the back cover of _Signals_.
- from ano@uk.ac.rdg.cs.csres
I heard that Neil Peart has a PhD in <field of study>. Is this true?
In _Visions_, Neil is quoted (on page 65) as saying that he is
a high school dropout. I don't see how he would have had time to
go to school and get a degree, what with being in Rush and all.
Has anybody noticed that Lakeside Park is mentioned in _Strange Brew_?
Yes.
Where is Lakeside Park?
The consensus of the mail I've received on the subject seems to
be that the Lakeside Park Neil refers to is in St. Catherine's,
on Lake Ontario. I don't think any 2 people have yet agreed on
how one actually gets to Lakeside Park, so I'll tell you to do what
Bruce Holtgren <70724.1622@CompuServe.COM> did for directions,
which is to call the St. Catherine's Chamber Of Commerce.
(If somebody does that and types in the "official" directions,
I'll add them to the ART.
Has anybody noticed that "Didacts and Narpets" is an anagram for "Addicts
and Parents"?
Yes.
Does anybody know the lyrics to "Didacts and Narpets"?
Here's the best version I've seen:
Deep Voice: "Stay!"
Geddy "Go!"
Deep "Work!"
Ged "No!"
Deep "Think!"
Ged "Live!"
Deep "Earn!"
Ged "Give!"
Deep/Ged <Wait or Fight?>/<Right>
Deep/Ged <Laugh?>/<Right or Wait?>
Listen!
In the October 1991 news release from the Rush Backstage Club, Neil
says:
"Okay, I may have answered this before, but if not, the shouted words
in that song represent an argument between Our Hero and the Didacts
and Narpets - teachers and parents. I honestly can't rememer what the
actual words were, but they took up opposite positions like:
"Work! Live! Earn! Give!" and like that."
What is the "Sign of Eth"?
This is what Muff (smills@umaxc.weeg.uiowa.edu) posted to the NMS:
I remember looking up "eth" in the dictionary after I found my
brother's FBN album in '74 or '75. In fact, I looked up a LOT of words
from that album back then. :D From American Heritage:
eth n. Variant of edh.
edh n. 1. A letter appearling in Old English, Old Saxon, Old Norse, and
modern Icelandic to represent an interdental fricative. 2. The symbol in
the International Phonetic Alphabet representing the interdental voiced
fricative, as in /the/, /with/.
An edh looks like: \_--~\
\
-~~-
/ \
{ }
\ /
~-~
Well, sorta. Like a lower-case "o" with a wavy propellor. What symbolism
an edh has in By-Tor's tale, I have no idea.
Also, Josh Beatty (iqm265@uriacc.uri.edu) wrote the following:
"Eth" is a letter in the Old English alphabet that was dropped from
the alphabet as it evolved into Middle and Modern English. It repre-
sented the sound /th/, as in "cloth" for example. It looked like a lower-
case "o" with a cross on top. Capitalized, it was like a "D" with a horiz-
ontal line through the straight part. This was also the symbol used for
a capitalized "Thorn", another Old English letter representing /th/.
"Thorn" was adapted into the Old English alphabet from a Germanic rune
of the same name. The rune, in its turn, was associated with the Gothic
(as in the tribe of the Goths, not cathedrals) word "thurisaz", which
meant "demon".
So "Eth" itself has some historical background in representing demons
and hell, obviously appropriate in the context of the song. I suppose
I see "The sign of Eth is rising in the air..." in two ways: first, that
it represents simply the demonic power in the Tobes of Hades, and secondly,
that it represents By-Tor himself and that when the sign is, rising,
By-Tor is coming forth from Hades to do battle with the Snow Dog (don't we
assume usually that Hades is underground? By-Tor would have to rise to
get out of there to most anyplace?)
Has anybody noticed that you can hear part of the 1812 Overture in _2112_?
Yes.
Has anybody noticed the whispering in the background in "The Twilight Zone"?
Yes.
Does anybody knows for sure what is being said at the end of the _All the
World's a Stage_ (only the vynil copies, not in the CDs)?
According to Darryl Coombs (dcoombs@dragger.ifmt.nf.ca), this is it:
Geddy: Wow
Woah
Waa
What a show
Man oh man, I guess that's it
Allright
I'm going <-- (not sure if Ged)
Yeah, yeah, ok, ok.
Door slam.
I read that "Xanadu" was based on a famous poem. Does anybody have a copy?
The poem is "Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Your local
library probably has a copy. It appeared in TNMS issue #88.
Ooooh! I just found out that there is really an intersection of Danforth
and Pape in Toronto! Has anybody noticed this before?
Yes.
Has anybody noticed that the signs on the right side of the _Permanent
Waves_ cover say Lee, Lifeson, and Peart?
Yes.
What are the differences between the Anthem and the Mercury covers of
_Permanent Waves_?
I only know the "Hewey defeats Truman" headline on the newspaper does
appear on the Anthem release. Anything else?
What building is on the cover of _Moving Pictures_?
According to rkleiner@alfred.carleton.ca (Ron Kleiner):
The building on the cover of _Moving Pictures_ is the current seat of
the Government of Ontario, at Queen's Park.
What is a barchetta?
The barchetta is a type of Ferrari race car - read on for "details
till you puke."
Barchetta is Italian for little boat.
The history of the Ferrari barchetta:
(note the lower case b - it designates a body style like coupe, spyder,
cabriolet or berlinetta, not an actual model name)
Ferrari 166MM -
V-12, 1995cc, 60x58.8mm, 140 bhp @ 6600 rpm, CR 10:1, single ohc per bank,
Weber carbs, 5-speed gearbox integral with engine, double wishbone front
suspension, rigid axle rear suspension.
First shown at the Turin Salon in November 1948. Its simple but
effective barchetta styling became greatly admired and many times
copied. The MM designation was added to the 166 model number to
designate the 1948 victory of a 166 in the Mille Miglia. A total of
46 166MMs were built in Series I & II between 1948 and 1953. 25 of the
Series I cars (1948-1951) carried the barchetta designation; none of
the Series II cars were barchettas.
Ferrari 195 Sport -
V-12, 2431cc, 65x58.8mm, 180 bhp @ 7000 rpm, CR 7.5:1, rest same as above
This car had essentially the same engine as the 166MM bored out to 65mm.
The body was very similar to the 275S discussed below. As a hybrid
prototype, it is not known exactly how many of these cars were made.
Probably at least one barchetta (certainly no more than three) were
made in 1950. The one known barchetta finished second in the 1950
Mille Miglia.
Ferrari 275S -
V-12, 3322cc, 72x68mm, 270 bhp @ 7200 rpm, CR 8:1, rest same as above
A prototype of the type 340 America series of cars, only two were made
in 1950. Both cars, in barchetta configuration, entered the Mille
Miglia in April but retired the race with clutch problems.
Ferrari 340 America -
V-12, 4101 cc, 70X68mm (?), 220 bhp @ 6000 rpm, CR 8:1, rest same as above
This car was a downsized Formula 1 racer with a smaller displacement than
its 4.5 liter F1 counterpart. These cars evolved into the 342 America as
the GT version and the 340MM as the sport. Of the 25 340s produced in
1951, 7 were touring barchettas.
Ferrari 225S -
V-12, 2715 cc, 70X58.8mm, 210 bhp @ 7200 rpm, CR 8.5:1, rest same as above
Considered as the final link to the extremely successful 3-liter 250
series of cars, 20 225Ss were built in 1952, but only 1 in the barchetta
configuration.
Since only 35 to 37 barchettas were built between 1948 and 1953 under
various model numbers, it's not surprising that few people were even
aware they existed.
Source: "The Complete Ferrari" by Godfrey Eaton; 1986 by Cadogan Books Ltd.
{ Interestingly, 2 Italians that I know have independently told me
that it's actually pronounced "barketta." }
What does "YYZ" mean?
YYZ is the transmitter code for Toronto's Lester B. Pearson
International Airport. Every airport is assigned a unique 3 letter
code, and that code is always being transmitted so that pilots can
tell, roughly, where they are and verify that their navigational
radios are tuned properly. These codes are also written on your
luggage tags when you fly. The intro to the song is Morse code
for "YYZ."
At 8:54 and 8:56 in "The Camera Eye," there are some mumblings that I can't
quite make out. Does anybody know for sure what is being said?
This is the best thing I've seen on the subject, thaks to
CMSGBULLIMOR@vax.liverpool-John-Moores.ac.uk :
'ello - Southern English, middle class, home counties.
Mornin' guv! - Cockney barra boy "in it!" accent.
Has anybody noticed that the ESL cover photo contains stuff from all of
the band's previous studio albums?
Yes.
What is the significance of 1001001 in "The Body Electric?"
In the video, the protagonist is a prisoner attempting to escape
from some sort of prison. The number on his uniform is 1001001.
Here is a theory from Mark Steph (exumfs@exu.ericsson.se):
In The Body Electric, there are two bit strings that seem to represent
Objectivist Lore:
1001001 - translates to ascii 73 - "I" - This character is significant
to most readers of Ayn Rand since it pertains to the self, but is
especially significant in her book *Anthem*, as it is a word that
is lost from the language in a collectivist society.
100100 - translates to ascii 36 - "$" - This character is a significant
symbol in Rand's *Atlas Shrugged*. It is the symbol of a group of
people with intellectual integrity that go "on strike" when the government
gets out of control.
1001001 is also not a valid choice for a California license plate,
but UNIT ONE is. (It's taken now.)
Has anybody noticed that _Power Windows_ is "brought to you by the letter M"?
Yes. We've noticed the similar accreditations in _Presto_ and
_Roll The Bones_, too.
Why is _Power Windows_ brought to us by the letter M?
From the April 1992 Kerrang interview:
"That started on _Power Windows_," recalls Alex, "when we were sequencing
the tracks and Neil commented that 50 percent of the songs began with an
'M' - 'Marathon,' 'Manhattan Project,' 'Middletown Dreams,' and 'Mystic
Rhythms.' It's as innocent as that. It's nothing to do with 'Sesame
Street'!"
"We throw a lot of silly little things into the credits,"
shrugs Geddy, "little inside jokes. It's just an immature habit we
developed!"
How many Rush symbols are there in the _Hold Your Fire_ inside photo?
It has been suggested that the newspapers on the steps may have
"Dewey Defeats Truman" headlines. Unfortunately, the headlines aren't
visible, even in the big print of the picture in the HYF tourbook.
the fire hydrant from "Signals"
the TV from "Power Windows"
the clock indicating 9:12 (21:12 military time)
the number 15 on the main building - in the "Hold Your Fire"
tour book, they mentioned that this was their 15th album to
date.
the juggler is clearly holding his fire.
at the very far left, underneath the chains, is a trunk with
the logo from their first album. This was spotted on a 12-inch
picture disk from the album. It cannot be seen in many
other versions of the picture.
The Chinese neon sign above the restaurant reads "Tai-Shan."
A friend told me that the car is a Mercury, but I don't know this
for sure.
Look right off of the juggler's right shoulder in the open window.
There is someone's hand shown holding a pistol. {People have questioned
this one - can somebody who has found it send me a better description
of where they see it?}
In one of the upper right hand windows of the right hand most apartment
building you can see part of the head and crown of the Statue of Liberty
who we all know holds a burning torch in her right hand.
The arches on the building are suspiciously similar to the MP cover.
Special mention goes to nth@cs.brown.edu (Nate Huang) for the most
obscure observation yet: "The restaurant sign has the same recognizable
font style as the lettering on the Grace Under Pressure cover."
{Yes, I know it's not exactly the same. Please don't tell me that again.}
Leaning against the trash can in the front is an oxford shoe, just like
the one the girl wears on the ESL cover.
The back side of the owl on FBN is resembled on the lamp post on the far
right side. (Only on the CD and tour book)
{ I think this is pushing it a little, but I can see how one might
see it as an owl ... Dan }
A copy of the painting on the far left on MP is wrapped up in cloth and
leaning against the front steps.
Does anybody know what stuff Geddy has sitting on the keyboards in the
_A Show Of Hands_ video?
The following was posted on April 12, 1991 by Dan Dickerman
GSY 1-447-4425 <dickermn@hpcugsya.cup.hp.com>
>I have yet to find a clear shot of the dolls, but from what I can decipher
>it seems he has 6 dolls and a brandy snifter (with cash, of course)
>distributed onto 2 keyboards: nearest the snifter is Boris Badenov
>(Bullwinkle fame) and further to our left is a group of 3 consisting
>of Rocky the Flying Squirrel (Bullwinkle), a toy robot, and something
>that looks vaguely like a cowboy drawing both pistols (knees bent, etc).
>
>[ I think this last one might be Roger (?) Kneebend, one of Julian's old
> toys, which the group sort of adopted as a mascot during the recording
> sessions. I'll try to find the reference to him ... :rush-mgr ]
>
>On the other keyboard (facing the front of the stage) is a thinner toy
>robot and (this one's really a ballpark guess) a cartoon dog (though
>none that I recognize) that is acting the part of the gracious waiter.
What is the round thing on Alex's guitar in the _A Show Of Hands_ video?
Here's what rjf@maxwell.physics.purdue.edu says it is:
That circular "thing" on Alex's guitar is a patrol patch used by
some Boy Scouts. That particular one is the "panther" patrol patch.
Has anybody noticed that "Anagram (for Mongo)" contains lots of anagrams?
Yes. It has been pointed out to me that, according to the Oxford definition of an anagram, this song contains very few anagrams.
To form a true anagram, you have to use all of the letters in one word
to make another.
Is there a reason for the arrangement of the numbers on the dice on the RTB
cover?
I doubt it. And if there is a reason, I doubt that it will be
made public (much like the significance of the HYF cover).
Has anybody noticed that the "Gangster of Boats" is mentioned in the HYF
liner notes?
Yes.
What does the pattern of skulls and bones at the bottom of the inside
front cover of the RTB tourbook mean? Is there a pattern to it?
It's Morse code for "Remember Death."
----------------------------------------------------------
To submit material to The National Midnight Star, send mail to:
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For administrative matters (subscription, unsubscription, changes, and
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There is now anonymous ftp access available on Syrinx. The network
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When you've connected, userid is "anonymous", password is <your userid>.
Once you've successfully logged on, change directory (cd) to 'rush'.
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The contents of The National Midnight Star are solely the opinions and
comments of the individual authors, and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of the authors' management, or the mailing list management.
Copyright The Rush Fans Mailing List, 1993.
Editor, The National Midnight Star
(Rush Fans Mailing List)
********************************************
End of The National Midnight Star Number 634
********************************************